Faculty

Sharóne Tomer, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

B.A., Washington University in St. LouisM.Arch., University of OregonM.Phil., University of Cape TownPh.D., University of California, Berkeley

Sharóne Tomer is an architect, architectural historian and architectural educator. She is Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at Virginia Tech, where she teaches design studios and the Building Cities course. Sharóne’s work sits at the intersection of architectural history and urban studies. Her research explores how architectural practices operate within and address conditions of urbanized inequality, with attention to issues of race, gender and climate change. Her doctoral dissertation, “‘After’ Modernism: Architectural Articulations of Apartheid’s End in Cape Town,” examines how architects’ aspirations for political and spatial change were negotiated with state policy and grassroots activism. This research has led to numerous conference presentations and peer-reviewed articles, and is the subject of a book project.

Sharóne’s teaching, writings and presentations address topics ranging from modernism and urban modernity, to public space, architectural activism, and contemporary architecture. She has taught architectural history, theory, design and urban studies at universities in the United States and South Africa. Sharóne is also a licensed architect in California, where she practiced architecture for nearly a decade. Her professional practices have focused upon innovative community housing, as well as residential and restaurant design.